Hello out there! To all my viewers; from Norway to Malaysia. I hope your all still out there making a difference. Because every little step counts.

So I was at work yesterday (hmm lets not go there considering its not the most eco friendly place) when taking out the rubbish toward the end of my shift I was outraged at how much polystyrene was left from just one days stock. I personally didn’t know enough about the stuff. How is it made? Is it sustainable? What effect did it have on the environment?

So I set out looking and to say I was horrified by what I saw is an understatement for the centurary!

Polystyrene is a petroleum-based plastic made from the styrene monomer ( or what you and I know it as: Styrofoam) Polystyrene is a light-weight material, about 95% air, with very good insulation properties and is used in all types of products from cups that keep your coffees that boiling hot or to keep those summer cool drinks cold OR that packaging material that keep your computers safe during shipping.

All plastics (including the ones used to make polystyrene) are derived from crude oil which is a non-renewable fossil fuel. Just incase you’ve forgotten; Fossil fuels are formed from the decomposition of organisms over millions of years. They are considered non-renewable because our rate of fossil fuel extraction far outweighs the rate in which they are generated. The burning of fossil fuels to make plastic products releases carbon dioxide which is a greenhouse gas. Air and water pollution is also generated from the energy-intensive process of fossil fuel extraction. Did you know that there was 57 Chemicals where pumped into the atmosphere to keep that coffee of your warm? No? well neither did I so don’t worry too much.

But the shock doesn’t stop there. The ever continuous list of health ramifications is unbelievable. Acute health problems effecting generally irritation of the skin, eyes, and upper respiratory tract, and gastrointestinal effects. Chronic exposure affects the central nervous system showing symptoms such as depression, headache, fatigue, and weakness, and can cause minor effects on kidney function and blood. Styrene is classified as a possible human carcinogen by the EPA and by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Keeping this in mind that we are also using the 5th largest creator of hazardous waste. But whats worse is you know when you get a burger from the local deli and its in that foam box… but by the time it get home its cold so we chuck it in the microwave? This is one of the worst thing we can do because the chemicals leach out of the foam and contaminate the food.. But we still eat the food don’t we? Yeah because we don’t see that its been contaminated with chemicals so we ingest them and increasing or risk of serious health and reproductive issues.

The hole in the Ozone Layer has over the years been a frightening issue in Australia; where I live, and dramatically increased the levels of concern about the environment. For all you that don’t know what the ozone layer is (don’t be ashamed it might not be a major concern where you live). The Ozone Layer is as it sounds a layer in the Atmosphere (duh you all say) but it has such a vital role. The main role of the Ozone Layer is that it is the part of the atmosphere for reducing and absorbing much of the earths UV rays. See its got a pretty fundamental role (especially where I live, without it almost everybody here would develop skin cancer and thats a whole other problem in itself). However some of the gases that we would put in our fridges and Air-cons have caused a massive hole to form…. (heres for that massively long word that none of us will remember) ChloroFluro Carbons also known as CFC’s (see thats much easier to say). So they banished them and replaced the CFC gas (with an equally as complicated name) Hydro ChloroFluro Carbons or HCFC’s. But a study in 1992 by the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research, discovered that HCFCs are three to five times more destructive to the ozone layer than previously believed! AND WE USE THESE TO MAKE POLYSTYRENE!!!!!

It doesn’t get any better sadly. Polystyrene non- degradable, and uses significant amount of the land allocated to landfill. Because it is composed of around 95% air polystyrene is highly mobile and escapes from garbage bins and landfill. It tends to flake, with small pieces of litter travelling long distances and harming wildlife upon ingestion. When a banana peel is exposed to light and air it takes 3-5 weeks to decompose. It is not known how long it takes a Polystyrene cup to decompose. Despite this last year there was enough polystyrene cups are used in America each year to circle the world 426 times . And back in 2006/2007 here in Australia we produced 33,000 Tonnes of Polystyrene!

So now that I have finished ranting on about how Polystyrene is the worst thing we could possibly use I hope I haven’t scared you all away. Because there is something that YOU and I can do!

1. Reduce packing – do we really need all these packing nuts to hold a usb?

2. Use Alternatives- compressed paper is a much better alternative. Using recycled Paper and cardboard we can still achieve the same “protective” result

3. Recycle what we need to use. Speak to your local council about the program they have for recycling! You’ll be surprised

4. Tell the developers we don’t want it! Simple as that! WE hold the ability to drive the market! not them!

You really make it seem so easy with your presentation but I find this topic
to be actually something which I think I would never understand.
It seems too complicated and very broad for me. I’m looking forward
for your next post, I’ll try to get the hang of it!